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After a bit of planning with the mighty Space Invader this was my second trip to this worthy Napoleonic structure, the first having been aborted after a certain young chap that was with us fell from a few feet in the air and made enough noise to wake a major city , right on with a bit of history;
The North Entrance to the Western Heights was the nearest to the town of Dover and most convenient for access, Accordingly, its defences were substantial, comprising two bridges and a tunnel. The entrance dates from the Royal Commission period of the 1860s, and replaced the entrance dating from Napoleonic times - a single bridge over a ditch,The two bridges crossed the twin ditches (or lines), which were separated by an earth bank – the tenaille. Neither bridge was fixed. The first of the two had a drop-down section hinged at the tenaille end, while the second had a section that could be raised. The roadway cut through the tenaille was ‘S’ shaped, so that artillery fire could not be brought to bear on the entrance to the tunnel from the approach road.
Having crossed the two bridges, the road entered a tunnel, with a pair of massive doors at the outer end. These slid on rails from deep slots either side of the tunnel, and did away with the obvious weakness of hinges. The tunnel then turns sharp left, runs straight for 50m or so, then turns right towards the inner gateway. The road bed of the tunnel was laid with 6� cubes of oak most of which are still there and can be seen, probably to guard against sparks.
Onwards with pics, still using my "Point & Shoot" for this one
Thanks for taking the time to view my pics
:beer:
The North Entrance to the Western Heights was the nearest to the town of Dover and most convenient for access, Accordingly, its defences were substantial, comprising two bridges and a tunnel. The entrance dates from the Royal Commission period of the 1860s, and replaced the entrance dating from Napoleonic times - a single bridge over a ditch,The two bridges crossed the twin ditches (or lines), which were separated by an earth bank – the tenaille. Neither bridge was fixed. The first of the two had a drop-down section hinged at the tenaille end, while the second had a section that could be raised. The roadway cut through the tenaille was ‘S’ shaped, so that artillery fire could not be brought to bear on the entrance to the tunnel from the approach road.
Having crossed the two bridges, the road entered a tunnel, with a pair of massive doors at the outer end. These slid on rails from deep slots either side of the tunnel, and did away with the obvious weakness of hinges. The tunnel then turns sharp left, runs straight for 50m or so, then turns right towards the inner gateway. The road bed of the tunnel was laid with 6� cubes of oak most of which are still there and can be seen, probably to guard against sparks.
Onwards with pics, still using my "Point & Shoot" for this one
Thanks for taking the time to view my pics
:beer:
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